As I sit here and watch my sons play their Saturday sports, I am reminded of how much detail the Lord orchestrates in His creation of us. We spend many hours practicing and planning for real game scenarios. We talk about positioning, mindfulness, and strategy. We practice, practice, practice. Then game day comes. I watch with anticipation to see how my sons will apply all that we practiced. Will they remember to analyze the situation and remember how to respond? Will they stay engaged throughout the game and remember to use all the resources they have been equipped with to respond? Will they need to be reminded of all the practice they have done and all the resources and skills they have been equipped with?

When I was training for a half marathon race my main concern was whether or not I would have enough water on my run. I trained with so many different water carrying devices. Some of these devices would be wrapped around my waist and offer different amounts of water. You would think it would be easy to just strap a belt around your waist, fill up the 3-4 containers and just start running! But no. 

The belt around the waist for me was constraining and heavy. Who wants to run 13 miles? Who wants to run 13 miles with baggage? 

Easter, or more accurately Resurrection Day, is my favorite celebration. This was not always the case, as I did not come to know Jesus until I was 18yrs old. However, my first Easter celebration after accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior was so impactful. In December of the year prior to my first Easter I accepted Christ into my life and began reading the bible on a consistent basis. I learned to make the scriptures come alive I had to not only read it, understand its context both literally and figuratively, I also had to insert myself. As I read the text, I would ask myself which character best reflected my heart, actions, and words? Who most resembled me? Then I would focus in on that particular character's narrative. I would focus on the happenings in context of this person. 

How often I spend my time planning. Planning. The calendar marked hour by hour with activities for my family and myself. The forward thinking...what clothes need to be prepared, what materials / equipment is needed, what lesson is going to be shared and how, what time it all starts, how long will it take to get there? I use to dread planning because it was always paired with anxiety. Planning plus anxiety truly equals exhaustion. When I learned what my Father God's good pleasure was, planning became much more joy filled.  

When faced with decisions I often seek the counsel of those I respect, admire, and know me best to help guide me in the decision I shall make. The counsel provided brings new insights, different perspectives, and confirmation of what I was already thinking. The root reason for seeking this counsel is reassurance. Assurance I am making the right decision. Assurance I will not fail, and even if I do, I have a support system to lean back on.